title: Intensive care unit and lung cancer: when should we intubate?
abstract: Lung cancer still remains the leading cause of cancer death among males. Several new methodologies are being used in the everyday practise for diagnosis and staging. Novel targeted therapies are being used and others are being investigated. However; early diagnosis still remains the cornerstone for efficient treatment and disease management. Lung cancer patients requires in many situations intensive care unit (ICU) admission, either due to the necessity for supportive care until efficient disease symptom control (respiratory distress due to malignant pleural effusion) or disease adverse effect management (massive pulmonary embolism). In any case guidelines indicating the patient that has to be intubated have not yet been issued. In the current review we will present current data and finally present an algorithm based on the current published information for lung cancer patients that will probably benefit from admission to the ICU.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Department-Oncology Unit, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece;
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zarogoulidis
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pataka
authors.forename: Eirini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Terzi
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hohenforst-Schmidt
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Machairiotis
authors.forename: Haidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Kosmas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsakiridis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katsikogiannis
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kougioumtzi
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mpakas
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarogoulidis
keywords: Intensive care unit (ICU); lung cancer; respiratory distress